


How To Score At Centre Ice

by ice_hot_13



Category: Original Work
Genre: Hockey, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-31
Updated: 2012-03-31
Packaged: 2017-11-02 19:19:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/372447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ice_hot_13/pseuds/ice_hot_13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryan scores the winning goal in their first playoff game, and gets a little swept up in celebrating.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How To Score At Centre Ice

The Werewolves are a losing team. That’s just what they do. They lose. It’s not for a lack of good players – Ryan overheard the captain once say they had the allstar problem, and yeah, he’d agree with that. What they have is almost an entire roster full of players used to being the best of their team, and all that gets them is too-long shifts, flashy breakaways, and three centres per line. They should win, but they’re a team plagued by dirty hits, bad bounces, nasty tempers, and just plain terrible luck.

They won twice this season, too, and Ryan secretly attributes it to himself and Aaron. More Aaron than him, admittedly – Aaron’s got four goals to his two this season – but, still. The way they play together, it’s magic.

Ryan was first on a team with Aaron when they were sixteen, five years ago. Aaron had been on defence, Ryan vying for a centre position. When he was moved to defence, he’d been offended until he played every game next to Aaron, and then he was just grateful. He’s never looked back (or ahead, since centre was further up on the ice… but whatever).

He knows they have something… different. He can feel it. He’s played with other teammates for just as long, some longer, than he’s played with Aaron, and this feels different. This feels like playing on instinct, like everything works better when they’re together.

And, okay. Maybe Ryan’s a little in love with Aaron. Maybe he’s never told Aaron he’s gay because he’s afraid Aaron would look at him and say so that’s what it is! That’s why you play so well with me, like it was some big revelation, and then, he can just see it, then Aaron would realise that this is a real, legitimate problem. So Ryan isn’t going to tell him.

Halfway through their first playoff game, it starts to feel like this could be a game we win, and Ryan sees it hit all his teammates. Their problem is that they’re too used to losing – once a slump starts, they can’t seem to help but throw in the towel, their season-after-season-long losing streak weighing on them so heavily, they can’t skate anymore. When they’re winning, though; this is a team that’s close, and emotions travel fast down the bench. Halfway through, it feels like they might win, and this, this would be a win that would mean something.

The other team ties it up, but the Werewolves keep at it, because that’s what they try to do, never stop fighting. (Ryan came up with that motto himself- werewolves never stop fighting. Admittedly, he’s pretty damn proud of that. Wolves for life is also his creation. He’s basically a genius). Ryan jumps the boards when the other D-pair finally comes back, for the very last shift of the game, and he’s nervous until he hears Aaron follow him, split for the left position, and Ryan breathes easier.

Aaron snags the puck just outside their zone, passes it to a wing because he sees Ryan sprint for the goal, and the wing does just as Aaron knew he would, and passes it up to Ryan, effectively avoiding the other team. Ryan skirts a defenseman, feigns left, and snaps the puck high and right.

And he scores. The puck hits the back of the net, and the buzzer’s going off, the game over, and he can hear his team screaming to the rafters. He ignores all that though, dashes to meet Aaron at centre ice. He doesn’t think, can’t, because the adrenaline of it all is coursing through him, he just drops his gloves and stick, shoves off his helmet, and knocks back Aaron’s, and kisses him.

And Aaron- Aaron’s throwing away his gloves and fisting his hands in Ryan’s too-loose jersey, kissing him like this is what he was fighting for this entire game, like this season ends right here, ends in a win that’ll never end. Ryan’s still struggling to get even closer, as Aaron licks into his mouth and sends him reeling, and his momentum pushes Aaron off-balance. Aaron teeters on his skates, falls backwards a little, yanks Ryan down with him. (Ryan’s pretty sure he hears at least one knew it! but whatever, they were probably the opposite of subtle anyways). Ryan’s knees hit the ice hard, and then Aaron’s pulling him in again. Ryan eagerly crushes their lips back together, until Aaron’s flat on the ice, Ryan straddling him.

“You fucker,” Aaron says when they break for air, “you never told me!”

“Same goes for you, man.”

“I guess,” Aaron allows, then smirks. “Make it up to me.”

“You first.”

“Fine,” Aaron sighs, leaning up to kiss him again. There’s probably a hand-shakes line going on around them, and Ryan’s certain his teammates are teasing them for celebrating like they just won the Stanley Cup, but. But it kind of feels like he just did.

“When’d you figure it out?” Aaron asks, lets Ryan sit back.

“What out?”

“That I’m, you know. In love with you?”

“Oh,” Ryan probably should have picked up on that, especially in the last few minutes, but he’s floored all the same. “I kind of didn’t.”

“Ry,” Aaron grins, shakes his head and gives Ryan that look he has, just for him. “Me too,” he says, “assuming, I mean, uh-”

“I am,” Ryan confirms, and there’s never been anything else in the world he was so happy to say, “love you, Aaron.” Aaron takes his face in his hands and kisses him, sweet and slow, and Ryan could just die of how much he loves this, the gentleness of Aaron’s hands and the way he kisses like he wants to remember every second of it.

Their teammates and opponents are leaving the ice, and Ryan reluctantly gets to his feet, pulls Aaron up too.

“Some goal celebration, for a guy that didn’t know I’d kiss back,” Aaron remarks as he collects their gear from where they threw it. Ryan feels himself turn about four different shades of red.

“I just- I was so happy, I guess I just forgot to pretend I didn’t – want you,” Ryan says, ducking his head, but then Aaron comes up, slings an arm over his shoulders and kisses him, like it’s just a natural addition to that movement he’s made a thousand times.

“I’m glad you scored,” Aaron says, “I think we’d have looked stupid celebrating a loss.”

“Whatever,” Ryan grins, “I’d celebrate a twelve to zero loss if I got to do it with you.”

“Prepare to do just that, we’re playing a team next week that kicked our ass last time we played them.” Aaron starts for the bench, and Ryan follows, scooping up his stick off the ice.

He glances back at centre ice before following Aaron into the locker room, smiles. Every time he steps onto the ice, he’s going to remember this, because centre ice is always going to be the place where he finally got everything he wanted, it was scoring the most important goal of his life just by allowing himself to feel the way he did, and right there is where it happened.

Right there, in the middle of the ice that is their home, that’s where they won.


End file.
